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What We Learned This Week: sweet relief from an departure of C-suite exec and these injuries are a problem
1 Playsin 2 hours
Niko Moreno joins Jeremiah to discuss what they learned this week about the Sounders. The recent match failures are piling up as the loss streak rose to seven; The two talk about how the lack of roster depth in key areas, tactical inflexibility, and what could be causing the significant injury rates we have seen. They also talk about the departure of executive Hugh Weber and why it seems like there is relief felt by many in the front office.
Follow Niko Moreno on BlueSky and YouTube.
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Transcript
Introduction of Will Bruin and Sponsorship
00:00:01
Speaker
Hi, I'm Will Bruin, and I was just recognized as a Seattle Sounders legend. Now I get to do voice reads for the Sounder at Heart podcast network. Here we go.
00:00:11
Speaker
Come on. Hey, O'Shaughness. Let's The Seattle Sounders have done it. MLS Cup winners. The Sounders rule the region.
00:00:43
Speaker
Ooch of a gooch! All creatures, great and small! Rothrock gonna collect it, he does just about, runs into the advertising order. Low to our left, ball goes in! Oh, what a Where's my copy? got bunch of them How many do you cost them? 50 bucks.
00:01:08
Speaker
I'll deadline you.
00:01:18
Speaker
This episode of Nos Arietes is sponsored by Full Pull Wines, a Seattle-based wine retailer and proud sponsor of Nos Arietes since 2011. Full Pull was founded in 2009, is based in Seattle, and is owned and operated by longtime Sounder supporters.
00:01:32
Speaker
They offer the best boutique wines of the world to members of their mailing list, with special focus on their home, Pacific Northwest.
Nico Moreno's Frustrations and Sounders' Loss Against Toluca
00:01:43
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of Nos Adientes on the Sounder at Heart Podcast Network. It is Friday, and I am here with Nico Moreno. I am... We're doing this one remote. We don't do we don't only always do these ones remote, but the Sounders schedule has been a little crazy.
00:01:59
Speaker
They were not open today at training, but they are open tomorrow. We're not going to record on a Saturday, though. Nico, how's it going? What's going on, Jeremiah, Sounder of Heart family. Thank you once again for tuning in and being with us on what we learned this week.
00:02:18
Speaker
I'm a little annoyed, to be honest. I had a feeling. I had a feeling deep in me that they were going to hit us with a curveball on a Friday because they know that on Saturdays, the attendance by our media members is not as high. And so, man, it it's slick. It's slick, but I see through it, Brian. I see through it.
00:02:39
Speaker
But yeah, man, just um here to mainly just talk. I did a therapy session session yesterday on X with some people. i literally just called the data. Open mic therapy session. So I'm i'm feeling pretty sand. And I think I let a lot of my frustration out yesterday. So I think today you will get a very, you know, cool headed, but yet stern Nico Moreno.
00:03:06
Speaker
Well, let's let's start with some of, I would imagine, the source of your frustrations. This game on Wednesday was, look, the deck was always stacked against the Sounders. They were going into Toluca, which is at 8,200, like,
00:03:23
Speaker
In the best of times, the Sounders were going to be underdogs against Toluca. This is one of the best teams in the region. They just won CONCACAF Champions Cup. They play at 8,200 feet. The U.S. teams, MLS teams almost never win in Mexico.
00:03:40
Speaker
Sounders are one of the few that have done it in the past, but whatever. And the Sounders, on top of all that, they were injured. They're playing the worst soccer that they have maybe ever played. and I guess in that sense, a three zero loss on paper doesn't look like the worst thing in the world.
00:04:00
Speaker
But if you watch that game and obviously you and I both did, you know that that game, that was not a three zero game. ah The Sounders gave up 39 shots.
00:04:11
Speaker
Stephen Fry had to make 15 saves. It was The Sounders barely had the ball and they almost were never dangerous. They had one good look, ah which they probably should have scored, but we can get to that later.
Sounders' Strategy and Injury Woes
00:04:24
Speaker
And they were just so badly outplayed. i don't think I've ever watched a competitive match with the Sounders. I'm not including friendlies for all the people out there that want to point out friendlies.
00:04:35
Speaker
ah for in a competitive match, and I'm including that Santos Laguna loss where they lost six one I'm including, you know, the 4-0 loss against the Galaxy where they gave the refund. Look, the 5-1 loss earlier this year to, I mean, a couple weeks ago to the Timbers, I have never seen the Sounders that badly outplayed. Like, they were just in a different... Toluca was in a different league.
00:05:00
Speaker
Yeah, man. I would totally agree. I try to... make it even just more concise and say, Hey, this was just the worst leaks cup performance that i've seen from this team. can say it's the most outplayed and love cited that I have seen any Bryant's Mets or team be show up in a game. And that was concerning.
00:05:33
Speaker
Especially because, look, if you were already going into this game knowing, i think we all did, right? i Earlier this week, I did a couple of shows, and and I said the Sounders will be lucky to leave the first half down 2-0. That's just the way I saw it. yeah And, look, they went down 1-0 in the first half because Devin Fry had a heroic performance. He But he still...
00:05:59
Speaker
You were getting peppered. You were getting salt and peppered. i mean, it was just incredibly just one-sided game, one one-way traffic type of game. And the the thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was, it and this is just my opinion. Please allow me just to, this is just me. This is probably, i don't know if the fans want to hear it. But to me, going into this game, I felt like if you already know that you're going into this venue that's incredibly hard against a team that's clearly better than you, that you are out talented in every single line on the field. You have to be able to just play a little different, change the formation, change the tactics, change the concepts. Or, or, or something that a lot of teams did in in MLS, in this league's cup, and maybe for that different reasons, but some just, some just rotated. Nashville rotated, Vancouver rotated. They just said, hey, you know what, we're just going to,
00:06:59
Speaker
Put other guys out there. And I think that if Brian would have just, you know, maybe put some defiance guys, maybe Bronick could have started this game. I don't know. Like, just get cute with it because I don't really know if you're going to be able to win this game. Or if once you go into this game and you see that you're getting just outplayed, maybe get some of these guys more time. But he didn't. It was more of the same the guys that had just played.
00:07:25
Speaker
The guys that just played. they It was almost the same lineup as they played against, ah against the Timbers. In fact, you could argue it was maybe a little bit better of a lineup quality wise. Cause you had, ah you had Jackson Reagan, yeah had Jackson Reagan back in there.
00:07:41
Speaker
And, you know, I thought maybe they would push Alex rolled on into the starting lineup. I would assume he's just not fit to do that yet, but they didn't change anything. They didn't.
00:07:52
Speaker
And I, and I look, I understand that. b Brian's hands are tied. He does not have a lot of options. And I think pride of being the defending champion of this tournament, maybe got the better of them and said, no, you got to put your best foot forward.
00:08:09
Speaker
But man, like this was their best foot forward. And I think that's, what's so depressing about it is like, that's where this team is right now. They are, they're, I mean, look, but but, but, but you could have put your best foot forward and still just made it a little difficult for a Turco Mohamed. Just put a lineup or at least a, a new way of, of attacking that he hasn't seen that he is not going to be able to just calculate because it's so predictable, right? Five in the back, a four, four, two, just simplify the game, you know, maybe anchor, uh, Costa Rienzi back farther or or just change it up in a way where maybe you push Ferreira more as as a real second forward and you push Costa Rienzi as a right mid and then you try to figure out who can play that right back position. i mean, I
00:09:00
Speaker
I don't know. I just I don't care what what it looked like as long as it was different and it was direct and it was just different of the way you typically play. But it was more the same. You're beating yourself against the exact same wall in the exact same way, knowing that it was never going to be good enough. And that's that's my biggest problem with it.
00:09:23
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it's it was just – it was a depressing game. I mean, that's what I wrote in my column this week is just – and to hear Brian sort of talk about it afterwards where he sort of like – and look – Come on.
00:09:36
Speaker
the it I just want to also say there was only three questions. They all came from inside the, the press area. They did not take remote questions. That was not on the Sounders. That's leagues cup. The, I don't think the Sounders were trying to avoid questions from the local, from us, from Sounder heart, from anyone else, from Seattle times, anyone else that may have been tuning in, but I I'm getting sidetracked. My point was Brian had this line where he was likening a Sounders victory in this one to a miracle.
00:10:06
Speaker
in, you know, a miracle on ice essentially. And it's like, what do we, he said we could have won. i mean, it was, i don't know. He also said, yeah, somebody, maybe we could have won. It's like, yeah, I mean, I guess, you know, like, I don't understand the point really that he was making there.
00:10:21
Speaker
It was just sort of, It was sad. It was it was odd. It was odd. I also think, I do think Brian was maybe thrown off by trying to interpret the questions a little bit because, you know, whatever. Like, hey, full credit to the Mexican media for asking questions in English. I'm not trying to hate on them. but No, no, no. I think it Brian was maybe like a little confused at times about what they were exactly trying to get. But because they the sounders just looked so...
00:10:52
Speaker
I don't want to say they were like one of the reporters said that they looked soulless. I don't know if I would agree with that. I thought that they had, either yeah, I thought they had energy. It was just that they were so outmatched and that's what's so, this is a team that won this tournament last year. This is a team that three months ago, we were talking about them being a supporter shield contender. They looked really good and it's just so frustrating to see what this team has become. And I understand that there's a whole bunch of injuries, but they've still got a lot of first team guys out there. I mean, this starting lineup would not have been that crazy at the start of the year. ah You had, you
00:11:32
Speaker
obvious starters, Albert Rosnack, Jesus Ferreira, Paul Rothrock, Osaza de Rosario was the starter coming out of training camp. ah The central midfield. Yes, that's a little bit of a mess, but Brunel and Kingston were at sometimes the most intriguing players that they had in this game. But then your back line is essentially your first team back line.
00:11:53
Speaker
Kalani, Jackson, Reagan, I guess Stu Hawkins was the, was, but he's, Stu was fine and, and knew who, and then Steph Fry is the goalkeeper. That's not a lineup that to me screams. We are just like, we're throwing in the towel. That's that's you. If you started that lineup on opening day, you would have been like, all right, well, i don't know what happened to the center midfield, but the rest of these guys are, are, uh,
00:12:19
Speaker
basically expected starters, if not literally the first teamers, they are right there with them. And it was just, it was depressing. It was, and it's just speaks to how this season has just completely come apart.
00:12:35
Speaker
And i don't know where they go from here. Look, and I'm just afraid that this sort of performances just continue to imprint this negative,
00:12:50
Speaker
just sell in in the brain of every single one of these players where, you know, it's just counterproductive, man. Because Toluca did whatever they want. Legat Yardo had a phenomenal game on that left side. And I understand that this is the number one ranked team in CONCACAF. They're probably one of the best one-two punches when it comes to, you know, the wingback and the winger kind of playing together because Alexis Vega is such a great inverted winger. He comes inside, has a phenomenal shot and Gallardo knows when to overlap, when to overlap, but his freedom and and the fact that he was able to just, if he wanted to was car wheel and, you know, do all kinds of stuff that he wanted. He could have done his taxes while he was playing this game. That, That's what really bugged me is how easy you made it on him. Like in this team, they didn't even have Paulinho. Paulinho was hurt. So they they they go with Eric Gutierrez, also a good player. I know that. But I don't know, man. I just, I expected...
00:13:51
Speaker
just a little bit more creative play, a little bit of a different strategy. Yeah, just a different strategy just to figure out, look, we know that Gajardo likes to get forward. Let's just pin him back. Let's play a 3-4-3 and just push somebody up, up to that side where he's just trying to feel pressed. I don't know. Like, I don't want to sit here and tell you that I had all the answers or that I know soccer better than anybody in that coaching staff. Not Freddie, not Brian, not anybody. I just...
00:14:20
Speaker
in my very simple way of looking at the game and in, you know, 15 years of covering this team, I just thought that we were going to see something slightly different. and and you And you didn't.
00:14:31
Speaker
Yeah. And look, if you get out shot 39 to four, you're going to get a lot of second guessing, you know, you're going to get a lot of, you've opened yourself up for a lot of questions. You know, the, the most stark stat I think from this game was more than the, the shot totals.
00:14:49
Speaker
it was 60 to two ah touches inside the penalty area, 60 touches inside the penalty area, which to me just suggests that the Sounders were not putting up a lot of fight inside the penalty area. And two for the Sounders, the two touches in the penalty area, or maybe it was four, but whatever it was in the first half, they had two and the two touches were the chance that Jesus, you Jesus Ferrer played a really nice ball though. So was a day or sorry, Oh, that really great, especially.
00:15:20
Speaker
Yeah. Absolutely. Great ball. Uh, that had to be a goal. It had, it had to, and he, and he wasn't able to finish it. That was one touch. And then the other one was a back, like sort of like almost a dummy back heel that Albert Rusnak tried in the box.
00:15:34
Speaker
He tried to do these, uh, backhills twice, uh, both times. No one was there to receive them. It was very strange. Uh, it seems like a lot of frustration is around this team right now.
00:15:46
Speaker
And I can't blame anyone. And I don't know where they're looking for answers either, because look, there are some players coming back. Alex is coming back. He's the closest, but like, like in Pedro, I think is I don't know, a week or two away. I don't know exactly how far away Pedro is, but like, yeah,
00:16:06
Speaker
Yeah. Yammer is not anywhere close. Christian's not anywhere close. Jordan's not anywhere close. Kim Kee, he's nowhere close. Not that Kim. He is like a player we're relying on, but whatever. ah There's Paul. Areola is not anywhere close.
00:16:19
Speaker
but The centers are not going to get a lot healthier anytime soon. Like it's there are weeks away, at least from like the leaks cup is most likely going to be over before they get significantly more healthy.
00:16:35
Speaker
And i just am, ah I'm just amazed that we are still not seeing the kind of energy around the transfer market or inter, like we're just not hearing any rumors other than that. We've reported two rumors. We should say you have specifically reported two rumors, Philippe Kenny, who is a a Senegalese striker. And then caught with Connor, Connor,
00:17:01
Speaker
What's his name? No, ah no. ah Gasper. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah, no, but, but look, I have such hard time with some of these European names anyways, but I think I got this one down.
Financial Criticism and Performance Concerns
00:17:14
Speaker
Casper. Thanks. That's a Nord. A, a, you know,
00:17:19
Speaker
Very interesting profile in terms of what he could provide. i know that there is question marks about some health stuff that he's had in the past. Perfect. Yes, I know. but But I mean, that's once again where the Sounders are trying to figure out where do I get a guy that can give me special performances something that maybe I don't have. Maybe a DP level talent in a non-DP level.
00:17:47
Speaker
contract and bringing using max tam or whatever is that they have available because unfortunately this team for the past three years four five has been all about getting a deal and yeah that has bit him in the bud before just like it did with pederillo vega who was kind of the same a player that had a lot of potential was scouted by just about every top premier league team out there you you youth player in Argentina that had everybody looking at him. Javier Machirano had called him for the U-20 team. I mean, this guy was incredible, but there was some question marks in terms of health and that hasn't panned out, but that's just the way that the centers have been doing business. And that's a and that's honestly, it's a it's it's not a choice as much as it is a necessity because of the way that they have decided to build their budget.
00:18:40
Speaker
And And look, I understand all the criticisms of Craig Weibel, and there is a very real chance that he is going to lose his job based on the GM vote. And heck, even maybe if he doesn't lose the GM vote, there is a chance. And I'm not sitting here defending GM signings that they have made. But I do think we have to realize that a lot of their struggles are because there's not really been any significant budget. And I just did a podcast with Paul Tenorio ah that will, that's already come out on the on the subscriber feed. If you haven't listened to it, go listen to it. But it's going to come out on the public feed on Wednesday. But we talked about how there's just not a lot of correlation between
00:19:21
Speaker
spending and talent or spending and performance in MLS. And that's true, but you can't do, i still don't think you can do what the Sounders are doing, which is,
00:19:33
Speaker
just literally not spending money. And at some point you just have to make some moves. And i hope that they do. And I hope it's, they need to do more than just sign a number nine.
00:19:45
Speaker
Like that's the one that we have heard the most about, but that isn't going to magically fix all these other problems. They need a backup. Six. They absolutely need a backup six. They they probably need some more depth on at left at left back.
00:19:58
Speaker
I mean, you could go through the team and find a whole bunch of positions that they could improve at if they were willing to to do it. And that's the problem, Jeremiah. And look, to understand where we are now, which is a an unprecedented situation,
00:20:15
Speaker
ah are we at seven losses in a row? Seven losses in a row. Seven losses in a row. Seven losses in a row. It's unprecedented. You have had some scandalous losses like you did against Portland at home. You have literally looked like a team that's in a free fall. And, yeah you know, we've we've gotten here because you were always pushing the limit of where your team was at in terms of the players that had been working for you for some time, the the willingness to not spend because you have this phenomenal pipeline coming directly from your academy and the Tacoma Defiance that allowed you to create a sustainable amount of players that were heavy contributors.
00:21:06
Speaker
And at some point you decided that you were so... solid You were so good in terms of what you had on the team that you shipped four or five players that you never replaced, including one that was a a pillar in your system, which was Ovid Vargas.
00:21:26
Speaker
Obviously, that's a move that you had to make. it was You were not going to be able to keep Ovid Vargas. He was just too good, too ready to go. that There were too many teams looking at him. But you replace them with essentially another academy player that you that had potential that was good, but that it wasn't proven.
00:21:43
Speaker
Then you said, if that doesn't work, we're going to go ahead and get an experienced player that has had good, a good career and maybe hasn't been great lately. But we're going to go ahead out there and get them a guy like Hassani that hasn't panned out the Now we're here because, you know, you took a gamble on Jordan that at the time, I said this last night to people asking questions, look, the Jordan Morris thing looks bad now, but you took that gamble in order to keep them, keeping them resulted in you having historic offensive team.
00:22:19
Speaker
Output season, the best ever in terms of goals. and You were a game away from going into an MLS final because of that deal. You ended up, you know, getting eliminated by giving up a substantial lead against Minnesota. But all of those moments came because, you know, you had a Jordan Morris that was still trying to do what he does best. But now that that's kind of falling apart because unfortunately he just cannot stay healthy.
00:22:47
Speaker
Now is when all those questions that you and I had asked at one point, why are those U22 slots still open? Why are you not looking for the next guy that's going to take the reins of this team at the nine? Osas is good, but he's not great. Osas is good, but he doesn't look like he's the guy. Danny Masovsky, had A phenomenal season that it will never happen again, ever. I will bet you my house be if you want to, because it's not going to happen again. So reality hit once again. And now we are here, Jeremiah. and and And that's where I feel like this team had a window where they had an edge on the league. They had a lead. They had an advantage of of having a system that not a lot of teams in MLS have, maybe none,
00:23:34
Speaker
in in In the way that they have it Not as productive and efficient And consistent And all you needed to do was just add a little bit of investment Add some money And instead of focusing and making the objective, let's make this team from good to great. You decided to just keep it at good. And now you are mid table team at this point, or right now you are, you aspire to mid table at this point. and And that's the crazy part of it, right? Cause this team has always been a protagonist in MLS. They've always been a contender in his, like and even now, even now with where they are,
00:24:17
Speaker
My mind always goes to, look, when these guys come back, you know, this team is going to be a top three team, but that shouldn't be the objective. I've said this for the last three years, like,
00:24:28
Speaker
That's the whole reason why i had the whole issue with you know everybody saying, why does Nico hate Brian? i didn't. It was just that I kept thinking, look, what why why are we throwing a parade because this team is making the playoffs? like that That should be the the bottom line is making the playoffs. It's yeah making a run, getting to a final, making at least a conference final. so you know These are things that we've kind of all questioned, and that's why we are now at this point with this team.
00:24:58
Speaker
Yeah. ah And... I think at this point we have to look at the, like making the playoffs right now is not a remote given. They are currently occupying the ninth spot in the standings. Now they do have a bunch of home games now coming up relatively soon. So that will maybe give them a little bit of a boost, but they got to get, they just got to start collecting some points again. and i don't, I mean, talking about where they finished the season is almost,
00:25:29
Speaker
secondary because they just have to start like getting some results. And that is what's wild is that, you know, they're going to be playing Carrethro Sunday and then they have Chivas on Wednesday and then they play Vancouver.
00:25:45
Speaker
I, I, it's hard to see. And none of those are gimmies. The correct throw row game is probably their best chance to get some points in the next three
Coaching, Injuries, and Playoff Struggles
00:25:53
Speaker
games. And then, and then they have Austin at home.
00:25:56
Speaker
And if they can't get points against Austin at home, I am. i That's where this starts to really come apart. And I think that, you know, we have, I heard ah Tom Bogert on SoccerWise say that he is hearing that that Brian Schmetzer is in, ah you know, some some actual danger of getting fired if things don't improve.
00:26:21
Speaker
Look, I can only say that I have talked to the Sounders and I think I understand the way that this works right now. I don't think Brian is in serious trouble, but look, if they get to that Austin game and they still are where they are, I kind of all bets are off.
00:26:42
Speaker
Look, I love Tom and Tom is the goat of the transfer window. He is our Fabricio and he is our Adam Scheffner or whatever you want to call it. I mean, he he's the man when he comes to the transfer window. But when he comes to the Sounders, I'm sorry, Tom, step back because we know best. I mean, I'm going to go ahead and say it that is that simple. Like no one knows this team like we do. And I'll tell you right now that there is nothing that I'm hearing that remotely says that.
00:27:12
Speaker
His job is on the line. Just Brian's body language and demeanor ters questions will tell you whether or not his job is on the line. There was a point when the the whole Nico thing, when we were asking questions and Brian looked irate and you could tell that he was uncomfortable. I asked i asked Adrian Hanauer at the facility about it. Yeah. Those were times where there was maybe some sort of rumors and and and real pressure. But right now, there's none of that. This team started, we were talking, you just said it earlier in the show. We were talking shield at the beginning of the other season. right
00:27:50
Speaker
and And this team started off with a whole bunch of gritty wins. And now you have the excuse, or if not the excuse, the circumstances of seven injuries. So if you're going to can,
00:28:04
Speaker
Brian, now, I mean, shoo, I'd be shocked. I'd fall off this chair right now if that was the case. So i maybe Tom is hearing it from somebody that maybe heard it from someone else, but I can tell you that there is no indication at all from what I'm hearing, from...
00:28:23
Speaker
Knowing Brian for as long as we've known him, that that there's any sort of pressure of him losing his job right now. I've said it before. He could go 10 losses and still be okay, just like Greg Vanney has. Everybody wants him out at from L.A. They've been wanting him out, and he's still got a job.
00:28:44
Speaker
I see Brian the exact same way, at least this year, because there's literally nothing else that's coming up. Like like who else? i mean, it's going to be Freddy Juarez just taking over. i don't think that that is the the solution for this team. No disrespect to Freddy. That's my, that's my guy. Absolutely. But even Freddy himself, I think would say, i would rather just Brian finish this season. So,
00:29:07
Speaker
Can that change? Absolutely. Yeah, it can definitely change. Yeah, if you get trashed by Queretaro or if you don't get that win and then you get ridiculed by Chivas at home, yeah you know, then things can change.
00:29:21
Speaker
Things can definitely change. Like, as of right now, I'm not like, look, if they have decent showings against... Carrethro and Chivas. I'm not really, i don't think there's anything to worry about.
00:29:34
Speaker
And look, I'll also say, i don't think Brian is an entirely fair fall guy either. Brian is sort of just dealing the hands that he's dealt. But look, the way that they came out against Portland was in the first Portland game was atrocious.
00:29:52
Speaker
I'm still trying to understand how they were so flat at coming into that game. and But there has to be real questions also answered asked about the injury situation, which continues to get worse. And look, we have asked, we have been asking about the injury situation for years. And it seems like the Sounders have perpetually been in this cycle of they can't get their their first team on the field together. They haven't, they've barely been, i think they only like three times were able to get all
00:30:25
Speaker
all three of their designated players on the field together last year. They have obviously not had any of those games this year. And it look, the Sounders, here's what I know. The Sounders put a lot of resources into fitness, into training, into data. They're doing a lot of stuff, but we don't we don't have the capacity to to answer what are they doing wrong?
00:30:49
Speaker
But so something is is off. I don't know what it is, but I assure you we are asking about it. We have. I mean, Jeremiah, we we've asked all the way back since...
00:31:02
Speaker
the JP misdiagnosed of what what was going on. Why why was that being misdiagnosed all with the way back to Nico and an injury that was also misdiagnosed. We went back ah all the way to when you you continue to have setbacks for Pedro De La Vega at one point. I mean, we've always asked these questions and all we can do is ask him because, you know, you're not a, ah that's not your realm of my expertise. no Neither is mine. So, you know, all we can do is ask the questions. And it sounds like Brian's master has been probably as self-critical or as concerned on the record as I've ever heard him. Right. he He said, look, yeah, we're investigating. We're trying to figure out if we're overcooking these guys. That's his words. You know, we said the training patterns, you know, what is it that is making this
00:31:56
Speaker
a thing Because, look, Paul Arriola ends up having the same, almost the same calf injury as Yamar coming in from, you know, essentially a game that he knew he was starting. It was like, what, seven minutes into the game. There's something else that they're not looking at that that needs to be addressed, you know. and and And I don't know what that is. But without a doubt, man, it's it's hindering a team that relies on the collective play and relies on having all these guys healthy. It almost depends on every single one of these players being healthy and playing at their absolute best in order for you to compete in this league. So when two players go down, three players go down, it's probably a lot harder for this team to manage it than anyone else. Now you're at seven, right? And and that's that's a huge problem.
00:32:51
Speaker
It is a huge problem. And it doesn't, like I said, it doesn't seem like it's getting any better anytime soon. This is, this is a big issue. You know, ah Obed Vargas, you know, when we interviewed him, he talked about how they, they have a different,
00:33:07
Speaker
they have different programs to sort of keep them healthy, but they are able to do it despite them playing essentially two games a week constantly. Like they are constantly, you know, they have basically one day of training before between every game and and somehow it works there. And ah like, I, again, I'm not an expert.
00:33:26
Speaker
I don't know what to to say. It does seem like this bad luck has been following them. We've also done some research into this and it looks like the Sounders don't have a injury,
00:33:37
Speaker
ah pattern that is that out of character for MLS teams. But this year it is worse. We actually have a story coming out pretty soon that sort of illustrates that the Sounders right now are in a particularly bad place as far as their injuries are going in terms of ah just the throughout the year. So, I mean, there's more research to be done. i don't have a good answer for it, but I don't know. It's just put it on the on the pile of things that are just going wrong this year.
00:34:06
Speaker
ah yeah I mean, i at this point, you might have to come in and have a spiritual cleanse out of Providence and Swedish Clubhouse and Performance Center. I mean, that that is the next step because if you can't figure it out in terms of what you're doing wrong with these guys, then, you know, maybe this place is under an ancient burial, a cemetery. I don't know. But you have to figure it out because – It just seems like he continues to progressively get worse for this team.
00:34:36
Speaker
Yeah, it does. It's funny. I think I saw on Reddit, someone said, you know, the 49ers got a lot of attention this last year when I think it was one of their players said, well, maybe it's because we're near a a power plant or whatever.
00:34:49
Speaker
And i guess there's maybe some sort of power plant near it. I don't buy any of that stuff. It would, it would, it would provide some level of explanation, but that's sort of where we are. That's,
00:35:04
Speaker
Yeah. and we're grasping at straws We're really grasping at straws. And I know that, again, there there is a fair criticism of those who say, look, when you continue to bet on, you know, a guy like Jordan Morris that has had two knee operations, right? Right. And he's had some serious injuries. And a guy like Pedro De La Vega that maybe he wasn't as clear that there was a history of injuries and he's had different types of injuries. Kim Kihi is 40 years old, is obviously going to get hurt. Paula Riola is a guy that also has had some injury concerns. So yes, I think that there is some sort of level of
00:35:45
Speaker
The roster just continues to get older, and that goes back to my point that you continue to ship guys and you don't bring anyone in. You got rid of Georgia. You got rid of Reed. You got rid of Cody Baker. You got rid of Danny Laver. You got rid of Atencio. There was a point where you were like, man, we just have too many center mids. Now you have Peter Kingston and Sebastian Gomez for my My goodness, Sevastien Gomez, that's who you are bringing in from the bench. And so it it is kind of crazy because if you're going to be willing to sell those guys, you've got to be able to bring somebody in.
00:36:19
Speaker
As much as there is injuries, I mean, your depth was almost a cheat code in what you and I had called a high floor every single season. And now that floor has dropped drastically.
00:36:34
Speaker
Yeah. Well, and the thing is is, look, you can trade all these players, but the whole point of trading them is to consolidate with fewer good players. Right.
00:36:45
Speaker
And, and I feel like the sounders are right now in this place of, well, we don't want to sign someone who then is going to force us to have another guy be out of the the group. No, that's a good problem. We want that competition. We should be looking to have that kind of competition.
Upcoming Matches and Strategic Needs
00:37:01
Speaker
Every roster spot should be contested. That's how it was when the Sounders were at their best last year.
00:37:07
Speaker
That's how it was. ah Georgie Manungu was having to fight just to get into the roster. And that had a, that was, it, it, it raised everyone's level when there's situations like that. And that is not where the Sounders are right now.
00:37:22
Speaker
Hopefully they can get back there at some point, but look, why don't we take a break? We're going to come back. We're going to talk about one of the, a big piece of news in the Sounders. ah Hugh Weber has left the Sounders to join the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. We're going to talk a little bit about that and how it's kind of indicative of what's going on with the Sounders right now.
00:37:42
Speaker
You're listening to Nos Adietes on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network.
00:37:47
Speaker
Sounder at Heart has been around in one form or another since 2009. In 2026, though, we make a pretty significant evolution when we go analog. Yes, that's right. In the year of our Lord, 2026, we are publishing a real-life magazine. We're calling this thing 4, as in Sounder at Heart 4.0. But we're stylizing it as IV because we absolutely love Roman numeral. And if you want to refer to it as IV, that's cool, too. The first issue has a comic book-style cover that was hand-drawn by local artist Kevin Newberg. Features by Tim Foss, Susie Rance, and Charlie Boehm. A statistical deep dive by Kat Bush. A Q&A with b Brian Schmetzer. A column by G. Willow Wilson. And photographs by Noah Reif, Max Aquino, Mike Russell, and Jane Gershowitz. I could not possibly be more proud of the work everyone put into making this, and I think you're going to absolutely love it. If you'd like to get your hands on one of these limited edition copies, we're currently selling them for $15 on our website. Get yours now.
00:38:43
Speaker
Welcome back to Nos Adiates on the Sounder Heart Podcast Network. I am here with Nico Moreno doing what we learned this week. And what we have coming up on Sunday is I'm not going to sit here and say it's a must-win game for the Sounders because, look,
00:38:58
Speaker
the reality is they are probably out of Leagues Cup anyway. And all things being equal, I don't know that advancing from Leagues Cup really helps them in the long run. They need to, but they do kind of need a positive result. And Corretharo is a team that historically is not among the strongest in Mexico, but they aren't slouches either.
00:39:24
Speaker
What can you tell us about Corretharo? But Querétaro is a team that, as always, relies on a understanding of their limitations. And they have had, you know, changes at the coaching ah staff and and coaching in general. But if you look at their last game, which, you know, I happen to be watching it with my dad who watches Liga MX pretty consistently. Look, though it was an epic game. that They ended up beating Tigres, by the way, who, look, I know that maybe they are not a top team right now in Liga MX. But if you look at their their lineup and their talent, I mean, it was a great game. They get a, I think it was...
00:40:07
Speaker
maybe 12 minutes or so into overtime or extra time. I mean, extra time when they got a PK and they ended up winning this game. But look, they fought Tigres tooth to nail. and And it wasn't just about absorbing pressure. They, they try to, you know, play against the run of play. I thought that they were very, very,
00:40:27
Speaker
purposeful with possession. They did not create as many chances as Tigres, but I thought that they created more of the better chances. And they're a team that is not afraid to just fight for the secondary balls, right? I'm just going to push the... a quick setup where we're playing short. We're going to go long. We're going to try to hit Avila up top. And if he's unable to get there, then we're going to immediately press with that second line. They like to push the line of confrontation pretty high when they have to. so Obviously they're a team that when they're playing a team like Tigres, they're going to allow someone to pressure to come back, but they're selective when they, and they're very quick at pushing their lines pretty high. So look, they're a very interesting team that, uh,
00:41:12
Speaker
right now it's probably coming in at one of their best forms of, ah you know, when they've been going into these leagues cup situations. So man, they're interesting, which sucks to say, because Querétaro is the one game that you're looking at in the calendar and saying, this might be it. This might be when the Sounders actually push through, but there is something different about,
00:41:38
Speaker
this team that Esteban Gonzalez has been able to put together. And maybe it's just the intensity level. They're an extremely physical team, right? So you hear me talk about secondary balls. They're never going to give up on chances. They're going to want win duels. That is their bread and butter is we're going to out hustle you. We're going to out physical you. And man, right now, I don't know ah if that's something that Sounders want to hear.
00:42:06
Speaker
No, it probably isn't. But that's look, a team that wants to be in here and get dirty and and and ah sort of like just get in the mud, that's fine. I think the Sounders would take that right now. I mean, where're there like they just need, ah like, look, maybe this is, maybe this look, I don't want to be Pollyanna-ish about this, but...
00:42:29
Speaker
this is a chance for them to at least turn the narrative, to so to put a pause on things and to sort of catch their breath. Look, there's no, they can't stop the fact that they still have a six game league losing streak, regardless of what they do in leagues cup, but they can at least change the narrative for a few days. And my suspicion is that,
00:42:49
Speaker
They're probably going to come out with a lineup that looks pretty similar to the one that they used on ah on Wednesday, which i don't love.
00:43:01
Speaker
I hope that they have at least one or two wrinkles, though, because I just think for sanity's sake, I hope that they, like maybe there's a, five back set that they can use. That makes sense. Maybe you, you put Alex rolled on, you have Alex rolled on in there. I don't know. Maybe he can play as a, as a right back that might help.
00:43:27
Speaker
I don't know. Is there, if there's any real central midfield changes that they can reasonably make. i don't know. Maybe you put in special. I don't know. i don't know.
00:43:38
Speaker
Maybe you'd try, you try a two forward set with Mark Bronick. Although it does seem like Danny Masovsky is still the preferred choice up there. i don't know. What do you want to see the Sounders do? I guess is my question for you.
00:43:52
Speaker
I do like that. I do. like the fact that you're just going to shuffle the deck just to shuffle the deck, just to create some sort of spark. Right. So Bronick's a guy that look at this time. God, this is going to be terrible to say, but in a universe where the sounders are unable to lock in a signing for the consecutive summer transfer window in a row, in a row, by the way, God help it. Um,
00:44:26
Speaker
I guess Bronick would be someone that you can try think. I mean, I don't know, right So he if it's that, If that's your emergency plan, oh, my Lord.
00:44:38
Speaker
I just want to see him on the field, right? And it's not just about that. it It is about maybe even saving face a little bit. Like, the last thing you want is to put a number one lineup and then get outplayed by Querétaro, right? And look, Querétaro against Dallas, they lost that game. But I thought that they were the better side for the majority of that game. So I know a lot of people might look into that game and say, hey, well, you know, Dallas just beat them. But they got put under a lot of pressure in that game. I mean, Querétaro created a ton of opportunities. And if there's anything that Dallas does do well is that they can hold on to some leads. And, you know, they had a pretty good ah performance from their goalkeeper. That's not what you want if you're the Sounders, right? And so I hate to say safe face because that just feels like you're just...
00:45:23
Speaker
saying, look, we're just going to put a whatever team out there just in case we lose. But look, at this point in time, I just want to see something different. And Brian has told us multiple times, and I guess we could talk about this here in a little bit, whether or not you know we we we think that this is the way to go, but
00:45:46
Speaker
I know it's not time to panic. And I hate that Brian said that changing formation will be panicking, right? But, man, sometimes if you don't have the players that you had at the beginning of the season where you came out with a system, you came out with a formation, now you have a whole other group of players because of injuries, man, there's nothing wrong with changing the formation, changing the approach, being just different than with the style you play. Right. not forcing your fullbacks to be as consistent when they push high and and you just, you just change it. Just, just play differently, man. And that's all I want to see. I want to see so some creative, different strategic changes to the way the Sounders approach this game against Querétaro.
00:46:29
Speaker
Yeah. ah So one guy who I'm curious, that looks like a real handful for them. Ali Avala. Is this ah someone? my so following the magician I don't know if that's a thing, but i had a i have ah a neighbor who is a Querétaro fan, and and apparently they call him the the magician. And that just seems like he doesn't quite fit the profile of player, but, you know, whatever.
00:46:54
Speaker
But yeah, he, he's someone who has, he's off to a blazing start for them. league play He can't, he's coming off an 11 goal season where he in about 1800 minutes last year, this is a player who could be a real problem for the Sounders.
00:47:09
Speaker
Yeah. And he, he's shifty and he goes in and out and he is very good at changing pace and he's savvy. He, like he understands, um, how to attack the box, right? So if you have a closeup marker in a defender, he's going to shift one way and really play off the ball well to just open himself up into space and and their ability to really find them. And so Jimenez is one of those players that consistently finds them in in accurate space. that that There's a real chemistry about about the way this team plays together. And that makes it even more...
00:47:51
Speaker
important to understand the, the, the attacker that you're facing, because he is going to be wanting to shift you the completely different way of the way he really wants to attack.
00:48:01
Speaker
And when we have a couple of young center backs and Stu has been good, but obviously he's still a young defender, man, I really hope that, that they do a lot of tape and and study film on this guy. Cause he, he could be a problem.
00:48:17
Speaker
Yeah. Well, all right. Well, that's, that's good at the row This is a, be interesting also to see what the crowd looks like for this game, because it was included in the season ticket package, but I would imagine it's not exactly a big draw in of opponent. The Sounders are obviously in a bad place right now.
Hugh Weber's Departure and Business Impact
00:48:36
Speaker
So who knows we'll what we'll see, but yeah,
00:48:39
Speaker
one other big chain One other big piece of news that hit the Sounders this week is ah on Wednesday morning, or Wednesday afternoon, we found out that Hugh Weber, who has been the president of business operations for the Sounders since 2023...
00:48:55
Speaker
had taken a job as the CEO of OEG, g which is the company that owns the Edmonton Oilers. They also own some minor league hockey teams and they they run the Rogers Center, which is where they play. And they own this entertainment district in Edmonton as well.
00:49:13
Speaker
But he, so he left the Sounders for what on paper certainly looks like ah an upgrade ah into a much higher profile position. And I'll tell you what I found amazing about that. Maybe I'm not amazing because I had heard this stuff before, but people sort of came out of the woodwork to tell me how much they did not like working with Hugh Webber and how they felt like Hugh was a, was, is really one of the, the forces that has contributed to the,
00:49:44
Speaker
change in attitude and sort of the degradation of the fan experience around the Sounders. And so there was not a lot of people who were bemoaning Hugh Webber's departure.
00:49:57
Speaker
Oh, man. um Obviously, Hugh Webber is not a front office element that...
00:50:09
Speaker
Contributes or influences the soccer side directly. No, but I will say that. Ever since we got to meet him and he was introduced to us, Jeremiah, and I think you remember that we ended up going upstairs and sitting down in this huge conference table and we got to ask questions to him. Yeah.
00:50:33
Speaker
I asked about, you know, how he would approach diversity in the club, how he would try to maybe implement new forms and ways to target the, you know, Hispanic Latino community that is essentially a very soccer driven community that just doesn't seem to be a huge percentage of the season ticket holders and things like that. And he didn't really seem to have that much to say about it. He was more focused on like revenue and almost running things like like a corporation. And yeah I'm not going to say that I am in sync in the way that you are with the fans and and the supporters specifically, but I always feel like those who have been nice enough to talk to me and reach out over the last couple of years, it feels like
00:51:27
Speaker
They have been disappointed that the team has so clearly gone away from lines in values that they once thought this club had. tend i tend to correlate his Hugh Webber's introduction and in acquisition as part of this club as when things started to fall apart. And maybe I'm being, and this is just me thinking out loud. I'm literally just chatting with you, with the fans and trying to just come up with something to say about
00:52:04
Speaker
you know, his departure, but I don't know if I can sit here, Jeremiah, maybe you can, i would like to ask someone eventually that maybe can give us these answers, but i don't know what his legacy is. You know, is it the yeah first time soccer, ah first time, first game initiative? Like, is it, um I don't know, the Providence and Swedish? Is it the barge, right? You know, is it a province in Swedish, you know, ah marketing? I don't know. i really can't sit here and tell you, but
00:52:37
Speaker
It does talk about maybe, and I hate to put it this way because I really like Adrian Hanauer, but this was an Adrian Hanauer move. Like that was, if I'm not mistaken, they had some sort of relationship. He wanted him to hop on and now it seems like that didn't really go anywhere. And so that's once again, something that maybe didn't have the effect that Adrian wanted.
00:53:01
Speaker
Yeah, i I know that Adrian really values Hugh Weber. He was someone when he got hired that he called him sort of a a lifelong pursuit. Like he had wanted to get into business with Hugh Weber. I think he sort of looked up to Hugh Weber as a local guy who had really made it in the world of professional ah business professional sports business. And he was he was over the moon when he brought him in. And my understanding is that he's actually still going to be an advisor. I don't really know what that means, but he's still going to be advising.
00:53:37
Speaker
And maybe the biggest legacy that he left behind the Sounders is the It's corporatization, I think, of the organization. And i don't I won't say that's inherently bad, but one of the big changes that he implemented here was that the Sounders went from having, I don't know if they had anyone in what's called the C-suite. So these are like chief operating officer, chief revenue officer, those kinds of things.
00:54:02
Speaker
I don't know how many of them they had before. Hugh got here, but when he left, I believe there's four or five people in the C-suite now. He also hired a whole bunch of s v ah senior vice presidents and vice presidents. And these are just sort of things that happen when you are corporatizing, and when you are much more focused on the business side of things. And by all appearances, the Sounders are bringing in more revenue now than they've ever brought in before.
00:54:30
Speaker
They've done that through raising ticket prices. They've done that through selling more corporate sponsorships. They've done it presumably through suites and all these kinds of things. And, and that's not inherently bad, although I don't love the the increasing increasing ticket prices. And by the way, my understanding is that the, that that one of the last things that happened while you was here is the Sounders had,
00:54:52
Speaker
from what I have heard, their worst one of their worst season ticket renewals ever. It was below 90%, which as far as I know is something that's only ever happened during COVID impacted seasons. ah So the Sounders season ticket base is definitely the smallest it's ever been.
00:55:10
Speaker
And that's, and so I think the legacy that he leaves is more about the way that they run the business. And, and honestly, I feel like the business has lost focus on what the core product that they're selling is. It's not corporate sponsorships. Their core product is selling soccer. It's selling the soccer team. And, and what they should be doing is focused on bring, making the soccer team as, as good as they can be. And I think that was something that in the pre certainly in the pre-COVID years, they were laser focused on how do we put the most resources possible and onto the field.
00:55:44
Speaker
And that's a focus that I think has been lost. And ah look, it's all fine and good if you want to make a bunch of money, but the point of making all that money should be so that you can invest it back into the team. And that doesn't seem to be happening right now. ah Now they are investing in things like, look, all of these people in the C-suite, they're all making $500,000 or more.
00:56:07
Speaker
ah That's a lot of money. The barge was millions of dollars. The idea there was that it was going to raise the Sounders profile. I don't know that it accomplished any of that. But from where I sit, Hugh Weber leaves a Sounders organization that is maybe better off as a pure business, but certainly is not better off as a brand.
00:56:30
Speaker
I could not sit here and tell you I disagree with any of that. um I don't want to sit here because he was always ah a nice guy to me.
00:56:40
Speaker
oh Yeah, he was. He was nice. Gracious and would go out of his way to say hello. Didn't ever sit down for interviews, but after the first one he did. But yeah, he was nice. Absolutely. Yeah, he he was nice, but you know,
00:56:55
Speaker
we I at least didn't always hear great things about him. I don't know. There was some like rumors about some people leaving in the organization, you know, once his hiring was there. And so, you know, these are things that I- lot of turnover. There's been a lot of turnover. i think you can associate pretty directly with his management style. I'll just say that. Yeah. yeah and if people are wondering why we don't report on this, because it's just not, or at least might me, I won't talk for you, but it's not in a real house. It's something that really takes a lot of, who and and you know, insight. Yeah, and people aren't always going on the record. Like, when after he left, all of a sudden all of a sudden people came out of the woodwork and said, like, hey, I want this story out there kind of thing. Whereas those same people, when he was still here, are like, well, I don't want to make waves. You know what I mean?
00:57:42
Speaker
Yeah, totally. so that's ah That's the difference. yeah And I don't want to say good riddance, but I think that this, there wasn't really a match. I just always, again, to how I started my ah theory and and and my thought process on this whole thing.
Fan Dissatisfaction and Club's Direction
00:58:00
Speaker
I just don't think it was a good match and maybe Adrian wanted it to work, but it just feels like he's more of like a NBA guy or NFL guy. He just, I don't know. He just didn't fit the style of business for this organization. So this might be, you know, something good. And we're like again, we're not sitting here trying to scapegoat this guy or saying that with him, the issues leave for this club. No, I'm just saying that he just doesn't quite, I don't think it ever quite fit. Yeah.
00:58:30
Speaker
I don't either. And I don't know. I'm sure the Sounders would disagree. They probably, I mean, the fact that he's still sticking out around as an advisor suggests that they didn't see his tenure as bad. Although I have a hard time understanding how they look at the current state of things. They see the,
00:58:47
Speaker
frustration and the distress from Sounders fans. And they think, no, this is good actually, or that they think it's just about a seven game losing streak.
00:58:58
Speaker
This is about something bigger. And, you know, there was a ah really nice letter that someone shared with us that we put on Sounder at heart, a guy named Arthur Kim, who's an inaugural season ticket member, who is a member of c ECS. And he wrote a really well-considered letter about all the problems that he has seen growing. And most of those problems, he didn't tie it to Hugh Webber, but most of the problems he's talking about are things that he was here during.
00:59:26
Speaker
Like, and I think this is something that has not really, ah we don't talk about how badly they botched the 50th anniversary celebration, but the 50th anniversary celebration was a complete bust. At no point did people feel like they were feeling good about how that was being done.
00:59:44
Speaker
And we are still... People are still talking about how that they they felt sort of let down by that whole thing. I'll let you go. And and if you want to read it, I would just urge you to go read this letter because I do think it does a really good job of crystallizing what people are frustrated about. And it's not, again, it's not the seven losses. It's not the is' not just the lack of signings. It's a whole sort of approach that, like I said, has sort of a corporate approach that has made what felt like a you know, a, an organization that understood what its product was to one that feels like it's lost its way.
01:00:21
Speaker
And, ah you know, hopefully, hopefully this is an opportunity for a reset. And i know that the sort of the sweet, the C suite folks that were hired are sort essentially being empowered to do more ah now. And who knows how that's going to go.
01:00:37
Speaker
But hopefully at some point there's some rethinking about the approach to customer service and everything else. And hopefully we can, ah you know, this is all related. but Yeah. And look, I need to go read that. I have not.
01:00:53
Speaker
But I do want to take this opportunity to just look. I had a bit of a vague and maybe. Yeah. a comment that I didn't quite contextualize the the way that i wanted in terms of me not understanding people not...
01:01:08
Speaker
Getting once again there or renewing their season tickets and and I meant it when I talked about it was more of like the way the soccer cultures looked upon like in Colombia where a lot of the pressure from the fan base especially like the the the Barras Bravas the the the main supporters is by going to every game and having you know players.
01:01:31
Speaker
signs with whatever it is that they believe ah booing certain people out of the organization when they go in and out they get a little bit too violent um I'm never going to be an advocate for violence so sometimes they get a little too violent when it comes to like a coach that they want out or something like that but After hearing a lot of comments from you guys, and I love and appreciate every single one of your comments, I realized that there's a lot more to it.
01:01:54
Speaker
And I realized that you guys are not giving up on the team. You guys are clearly just showing your displeasure with a team that, whether it's through something like what you just articulated, ah Jeremiah, or whether it's the simple fact that this team maybe is not doing enough to keep you entertained. And if they're not entertaining you and that's your money at work,
01:02:16
Speaker
then absolutely do not renew your tickets. Like that that is something that I really wanted to come out and say that I would never ever sit here and tell you guys not to absolutely do that. And, and now that I hear a lot of your comments that have been, you know, very well put, I really get where you guys are coming from in a way that look, if the team,
01:02:37
Speaker
is in some ways showing you that they're not as committed to this cause in the way that you are and your only way to show that you're done with that sort of mentality and vision and and and the way the team is going is by not renewing, then it's totally understandable. But I appreciate all the comments. And I just wanted to clarify a little bit of a comment that it maybe I didn't go in depth enough. And so, yeah, man, I want to go read that. I'm going to go read that because, you know, it's getting into the the mindset of the fans.
01:03:10
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's and it's a one that I would urge everyone to read because I think it did a good job of ah the feedback we've heard on that a lot is i couldn't have said it better myself. and And so I think if you are frustrated with the direction of the team, I think you'll find some comfort in knowing that a lot of people share your feelings.
01:03:32
Speaker
All right.
Podcast Clarifications and Subscriber Importance
01:03:33
Speaker
Well, one more piece of ah news that we probably needed to address. Maybe we should have addressed it before, but... um as you have probably heard by now, Sounder Heart and Lobbing Scorchers have parted ways. Lobbing Scorchers is going to be going independent, which is hey, ah more power to them. i have We are not begrudging that at all.
01:03:57
Speaker
But unfortunately, we kind of got dragged into a little bit of a social media ah beef that I don't think either one of us really were were looking for here But...
01:04:08
Speaker
i don't know. You, you wanted to say a piece on it and I'm just going to let you say your piece. Yeah, I mean, call it discourse, call it what you want. i just wanted to give my two cents here. I did not feel like this was needed to go on like a video of me telling you guys what I felt or I'm done with the statements, especially after all the statements that were put out there that essentially I had no idea that we're going back and forth. But look, to be quite frank, to all of you who know me for as long as you guys have known me and maybe those that don't, um
01:04:41
Speaker
I'm someone who takes this job very seriously. And i take that seriously because I appreciate every single one of you guys trusting my information, liking the style that I do it in And ah to me, that means the world. So when...
01:04:58
Speaker
All of this came across, I was totally okay with the changes in terms of Loving's coaches going independent. You know, they are an awesome some group. They have a very specific style and I was happy, but I was very annoyed. And to be quite frank, I was extremely disappointed um,
01:05:19
Speaker
All of this information about me was being disclosed publicly. I thought that it was bad taste. I absolutely hate when dirty laundry is aired out. You know, my mom always told me that stuff is done at home. And so going to leave it at that. I just wanted to let you guys know that if it had been my choice, none of that would have been out there publicly. And this could have been done and finished very quickly.
01:05:49
Speaker
privately. But now that it's out there, I do want to say that I'm sticking and staying with Sound Art hard. Simply because I've been here a long time. ah This is my family. But the reason why I'm not doing any or the one show that I have with Loving Scorchers is not because there's an agreement or a contract or Jeremiah or Sounder Hard is telling me that I cannot do work with whoever
01:06:20
Speaker
the reason and the conflict is, is time. If I'm getting an expanded role with Sounder at heart, that means that I'm going to be putting a lot of my resources into new content with Lobbings Coaches leaving. They're a very good creative content provider for, and they have been for Sounder at heart. And Jeremiah has trusted me to fill some of those voids in Therefore, there's a direct conflict for me to do a new show or do more content when I have something else going on with Love & Scorcher. So that's the whole reason. That's the the main point. And
01:07:01
Speaker
None of it, ah and and and I do mean this, none of it has anything to do with any sort of dislike for either ari or Noah or Lovins Quartures. Nothing has to do with me being held hostage by Sandra Hard in any way. It's just simply...
01:07:23
Speaker
From someone like me that have very specific ethical and, you know, codes that that that I've grown up with, i am never going delude myself so that my product or what I do is any less profitable.
01:07:44
Speaker
more important or or or any less more professional as it can be. So that's all I wanted to say. i appreciate all of the great comments from you guys and the support. And i do...
01:07:59
Speaker
Hope that you guys, if you guys like Lobby Scorchers, please continue to you know follow them and and and watch their their content. But in in terms of me and and Sounder ah Hard, I am so grateful for you guys' support. And I'm going to continue to do everything I can to provide better in-depth content for all of you guys to have.
01:08:22
Speaker
Yeah, well, I just want to say thank you, Nico, for for you know having faith in us and wanting to sort of see this thing out. And to and I'm looking forward to seeing, doing more work with you, frankly.
01:08:36
Speaker
So... ah I don't think we need to give this any more time than we've already given it. I want to say thank you, of course, to all of your listeners. We are right now in the middle of our most important subscriber month. August is when Sounder at Heart has the largest portion of renewals. And if you want to support what we're doing, i really want to just say...
01:09:00
Speaker
Become a subscriber, renew your subscription. If you want to get into a bigger level of subscription, we will always welcome that as well. If you want to become ah plans, of course, start at $30 a year, or I think $3 a month.
01:09:16
Speaker
ah It's you can also get if you want to get into our discord, that plan starts at $75 year, month, i believe, a month. Anyway,
01:09:26
Speaker
ah Just want to say thank you though to everyone that has stuck by us. I've gotten a lot of phone calls recently making sure I'm okay. I am okay, don't worry. But um thank you to everyone.
01:09:40
Speaker
And I will say this, if if you haven't already and you want to continue to to support, like I promise you that we have some really, really cool stuff coming up in the future. We have some excellent ideas for some interviews that I know, I know a lot of you guys are going to enjoy because you guys have a tendency to really enjoy some of our like exclusive content. And there's going to be a lot of that. We got some events coming up. I mean, if if you guys...
01:10:07
Speaker
are not already supporting, please do continue to show support to Sounder Heart and I promise you would not be disappointed. Absolutely. We have lots and lots of good stuff coming up, ah which we always try to be doing. But thank you again to listening.
01:10:22
Speaker
Thank you to Nico for so sticking around. Thank you to Lickit for continuing to produce this thing. But let's get out of here. I'm Jeremiah Oshan. This is Nos Adietes, part of the Sounder Heart Podcast Network, and we will catch you next time.
01:11:05
Speaker
Let's go and Sounders.